All About Hinduism. By. A DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY PUBLICATIONFirst Edition: 1. Second Edition: 1. Third Edition: 1. Fourth Edition: 1.
Fifth Edition: 1. Sixth Edition: 1. Copies 5,0. 00)World Wide Web (WWW) Edition : 1. WWW site: http: //www. This WWW reprint is for free distribution. Introduction to Srimad Bhagavad Gita. An introduction based on the Sankara’s introduction to his Gita Bhaasya. Pranaams to the devotees of the Lord. Here are a hundred Bhagavad Gita quotes, spoken by Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of the Kurukshetra. These are taken from a translation by Eknath. This is a small booklet of less than 40 verses of the Gita with short notes to convey the essence of the Gita. You can download the PDF file here. Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Complete Edition. Narrated by Dravida Dasa. Approximately 27 hours. Sanskrit, English translations and purports. Telugu cinema, also known by its sobriquet Tollywood, is a part of Indian cinema producing films in the Telugu language, centered on the Indian states of Andhra. Shivanandanagar—2. Distt. Tehri- Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh, Himalayas, India. DEDICATED TOALL THOSEWHO LOVE HINDUISMAND ITS SUBLIME PHILOSOPHYAND PRACTISE ITS TEACHINGSCONTENTSHinduism is veritably the fountain- head of all religions. It contains within itself. It includes all religions and excludes none. It is but natural that people all over the world should show increasing interest in a. The book, which was. We do hope that all serious students of Hindu Religion and Philosophy will find the. Salutations and prostrations unto Thee. Thou art Existence- Consciousness- Bliss Absolute. Thou art Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient. Thou art the Indweller of all beings. Grant us an understanding heart, Equal vision, balanced mind, Faith, devotion and wisdom. Grant us inner spiritual strength To resist temptations and to control the mind. Free us from egoism, lust, greed, hatred, anger and jealousy. Fill our hearts with divine virtues. Let us behold Thee in till these names and forms. Let us serve Thee in all these names and forms. Let us ever remember Thee. Let us ever sing Thy glories. Let Thy Name be ever on our lips. Let us abide in Thee for ever and ever. Thou permeatest and penetratest this. Thou. art the basis for all these names and forms. Thou art the apple of my eye, the Prema of my. Life of my life, the very Soul of my soul, the Illuminator of my intellect. Anahata music of my heart, and the substance of my physical, mental. Here is the complete Mahabharata translated into English prose directly from the original sanskrit text by Pratap Chandra Roy. Each of the 12 volumes are about 500. Dear Bandhu, We would like invite you to this great satsang we are doing every day(Monday Thru Friday) on telebridge since 2012!! Samkshepa Ramayanam Chanting (SRC). Just What is the Bhagavad Gita? The Purpose of Bhagavad Gita. The purpose of Bhagavad Gita is to deliver mankind from the darkness of material existence. I recognise Thee alone as the mighty Ruler of this universe and the Inner Controller. Antaryamin) of my three bodies. I prostrate again and again before Thee, my Lord! Thou. art my sole refuge! I trust Thee alone, O ocean of mercy and love! Elevate, enlighten. Remove obstacles from my spiritual path. Lift the veil of ignorance. I cannot bear any longer, even for a second, the miseries of this body. Samsara. Do not be cruel, my Lord. Thou art. Dinabandhu. Thou art Adhama- Uddharaka. Thou art Patita- Pavana (Purifier of the fallen). Om Santi Santi Santih! IIISarvesham Svasti Bhavatu. Sarvesham Santir Bhavatu. Sarvesham Purnam Bhavatu. Sarvesham Mangalam Bhavatu. May auspiciousness be unto all; May peace be unto all; May fullness be unto all; May prosperity be unto all. Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah Sarve Santu Niramayah. Sarve Bhadrani Pasyantu. Ma Kaschid- Duhkha- Bhag- Bhavet. May all be happy; May all be free from disabilities; May all behold what is auspicious; May none suffer from sorrow. Asato Ma Sadgamaya. Tamaso Ma Jyotir- Gamaya. Mrityor- Ma Amritam Gamaya. Om Santi Santi Santih! Lead me from the unreal to the Real; Lead me from darkness to the Light; Lead me from mortality to Immortality. CHAPTER 1. Silent adorations to Satchidananda Para- Brahman, Who is the silent Witness. Who is the Indweller in all beings, Who has projected this world for His own. Lila or sport, Who is the support for this world, body and mind and all movements. Who is the foundation for all societies and their activities. The word Religion comes from the Latin word religio which consists of two. That which binds the. God is religion. Religion shows the way for the attainment of. God- realisation. Religion satisfies the deep inward craving in man who is not always content with. Man. cannot live by bread alone. A time comes in the life of many of us when mere worldly. In the case of many. A Revealed Religion. Hinduism is the religion of the Hindus, a name given to the Universal Religion which. India. It is the oldest of all living religions. This is not founded by. Buddhism, Christianity and Mohammedanism owe their origin to the prophets. But no such date can be fixed for Hinduism. Hinduism is not born of. It is not based on a set of dogmas preached by a. It is free from religious fanaticism. Hinduism is also known by the names Sanatana- Dharma and Vaidika- Dharma. Sanatana- Dharma means eternal religion. Hinduism is as old as the world itself. Hindu scriptures are the oldest in the world. Sanatana- Dharma is so called, not only because it is eternal, but also because it is. God and because it can make us eternal. Vaidika- Dharma means the religion of the Vedas. The Vedas are the foundational. Hinduism. The ancient Rishis and sages of India have expressed their. Aparoksha- Anubhuti) in the Upanishads. These. experiences are direct and infallible. Hinduism regards the spiritual experiences of the. Rishis of yore as its authority. The priceless truths that have been discovered by the. Hindu Rishis and sages through millennia constitute the glory of Hinduism. Therefore. Hinduism is a revealed religion. A Religion Of Freedom. Hinduism, unlike other religions, does not dogmatically assert that the final. It is only a. means to an end and all means which will ultimately lead to the end are equally approved. Hinduism allows absolute freedom to the rational mind of man. Hinduism never demands. It allows the widest freedom in matters of faith and worship. Hinduism is a. religion of freedom. It allows absolute freedom to the human reason and heart with regard. God, soul, creation, form of worship and the goal of life. It does not force anybody to accept. It allows everybody to reflect, investigate. Hence, all sorts of religious faiths, various forms of worship or. Sadhana, and diverse kinds of rituals and customs, have found their honourable places side. Hinduism and are cultured and developed in harmonious relationship with one. Hinduism does not condemn those who deny God as the creator and ruler of the world, who. Moksha or state of. Hinduism does not render the upholders of such views unfit to be recognised as. Hindu religious society. The religious hospitality of Hinduism is proverbial. Hinduism is extremely catholic and. This is the fundamental feature of Hinduism. Hinduism pays respects to all. It does not revile any other religion. It accepts and honours. There are considerable numbers of the followers of other religions in India. And yet. the Hindus live in perfect harmony, peace and friendship with all of them. Their tolerance. and fellow- feeling towards the followers of other religions is remarkable. Despite all the differences of metaphysical doctrines, modes of religious discipline. Hindu society, there. Hindus. Vedanta, or the philosophy of the Upanishads, is lofty, sublime and unique. The. Western philosophers have paid their tribute to the ancient seers of the Upanishads. They. have been amazed at the lofty heights scaled by them. Schopenhauer studied the Upanishads. Upanishads just before going to bed. He said. “The Upanishads are the solace of my life and they will be solace to me after my. The Raja- Yoga system of Hinduism is also splendid and unique. The lessons are immensely. No system of physical exercise on the surface of the. Hatha- Yoga. Kundalini- Yoga is wonderful. Hence the Americans and. Europeans are in search of Hindu Sannyasins and Yogins. They visit the Himalayas. Yoga teachers. Some are living under Hindu Yogins as disciples and. Yoga. Many Europeans and Americans are even now Hindus by faith and. Christians. They practise Raja- Yoga and Vedanta. Hinduism provides spiritual food and Yoga Sadhana for all sorts of people to suit. It prescribes Yoga Sadhana even for a scavenger or a cobbler to attain. God- realisation, while doing his ordinary avocation in the world. Hindu Yoga and Vedanta. Tapas, renunciation and practical Sadhana. Self- realisation. Hinduism is not a religion of mere theories. It is eminently. practical. In no religion you will find such a variety of practical Yoga practised and. That is the reason why India is the only. Rishis, Yogins and saints. Religion is practical aspect of philosophy. Philosophy is rational aspect of religion. It is not meant for intellectual. Hindu philosophy is a way of life. The philosopher of. Hinduism seriously reflects after hearing the Srutis, does Atma- Vichara, constantly. Self- realisation or Atma- Sakshatkara. He. attempts to attain Jivanmukti now and here. Religion is spiritualisation of human life for a Hindu. Religious culture is really the. Religion governs all the departments of Hindu life. He must. realise the freedom of the soul in every department of life. Religion affords the greatest. Religion is the only way to him for the. It is in India alone that every man knows something of philosophy. The cowherd who. tends the cattle, the peasant who ploughs the fields, the boat- man who pulls at his oar. Even the barber repeats OM NAMAH SIVAYA. SIVOHAM before he takes up the razor. The Paramahamsa Sannyasins, the itinerant monks of. Hinduism, have disseminated the highest of Vedanta from door to door. In exchange for a. Hindu religion and philosophy. In a meeting of the Sanatana Dharma Sabha, Lokamanya Tilak said: “A Hindu is. Vedas contain self- evident and axiomatic truths.” The Hindu Maha Sabha has given another definition: “A Hindu is one who believes in. India.” “Those who burn the dead are Hindus.” This is another definition given by. Some define: “A Hindu is one who regards India as his motherland and the most. Some others define: “He who calls and considers himself a Hindu is a Hindu.” Some define: “He who accepts the Vedas, the Smritis, the Puranas and the Tantras. Supreme God. (Brahman), in the Law of Karma or retributive justice, and in reincarnation (Punarjanma). Hindu.” “He who follows the Vedic or Sanatana- Dharma is a Hindu.” This is the. This is the only correct and. That part of the great Aryan race which migrated from Central Asia, through the. India, settled first in the districts near the river Sindhu, now. Indus, on the other side of the river. The Persians pronounced the word Sindhu. Hindu, and named their Aryan brethren Hindus. Hindu is only a corrupt form of Sindhu. The Hindu Aryans spread themselves over the plains of the Ganga. Then the Persians gave. Hindusthan, or abode of the Hindus, to the whole of those districts between. Introduction to Bhagavad Gita – based on Sankara’s Introduction. An introduction based on the Sankara’s introduction to his Gita Bhaasya. Preface. Pranaams to the devotees of the Lord. Bharat Churiwalaji, a devotee of Ramakrishna Math, Mumbai, asked me to start a series on a sort of systematic study of the Gita in the holy. This is a collection of the postings that were mailed to the list. Whatever I have learnt is from the illustrious monks of different Orders that I have had the good fortune to come in touch with. Of special mention are Swami Swayambodhanandaji, Swami Paramarthanandaji and Swami Paramasukhanandaji. The main references I used were these: 1. It has chapter summaries, verse in devanagari, English transliteration, split- up of the sandhis, word by word meaning, verse meaning, chapter summaries and detailed notes wherever needed. Krishna Warrior published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. This book is a boon to people who are not very familiar with Sanskrit, but want to read Sankara Bhasya in its original. It has the original text in devanagari and also an English translation. It gives deep insight into the mind of Sankara when he wrote the Bhaasya. This is a good prelude before an in- depth verse- by- verse study of the Gita. It also gives an excellent essence of the message of the Gita. This can be bought from http: //www. This is a good in- depth verse- by- verse study of the Gita. These are available for download at http: //www. This can be bought from http: //www. It has excellent search facilities. It can be downloaded from http: //www. Resources/Downloads. This is a boon to any Gita enthusiast who has a computer. Sankara’s introduction to his Bhagavad Gitaa Bhaashya is a good way to look at an overview of the Gita. Vedaas and Gita. Vedaas are an ocean. Srimad Bhagavad Gita is its essence. Vedaas have been grouped into four by Veda Vyaasa – Rig, Yajur, Saama and Atharvana. This grouping is to enable different people to focus and master a part of the entire Vedaas. Each Veda has four parts – Samhita, Braahmana, Aaranyaka and Upanisad. Samhitaas are invocation to the Lord to give us the right understanding and inclination. Braahmanaas describe external rituals, which when done without desire for the results, free us from likes and dislikes. Aaranyakaas describe internal meditations, which make us introvert and calm, and thus prepare the mind for enquiry into the Truth. Upanisads talk about the Ultimate Truth, which is the identity of the Jivaatman and the Paramaatman (Jiva Ishwara Aikyam). Bhagavad Gita is a summary of the Vedaas. Thus studying the Gita is considered as studying the Vedaas. Krishna tells at several places that what He is telling in the Gita is not something new. He says that He gave this teaching to Surya in olden days. At several places, Krishna says “The wise people say so”, “The learned people consider so”, etc. Thus Krishna emphasizes that there is no contradiction or difference between what He says and what the Vedaas have told. The traditional study of the Gita starts with nine “dhyaana slokas”. In the Gita also, Arjuna extols the glories of the Lord at several places. The Lord also describes His glories. These are equivalent to the Mantra portion of the Vedaas. Gita talks about Karma, its effects, and about Karma Yoga in detail. These cover the Braahmana portion of the Vedaas. Gita talks about several internal disciplines of dhyaana, japa, etc. Also, the glories of the Lord described to help in meditation on the Lord. These cover the Aaranyaka portion of the Vedaas. Gita talks about the Ultimate Truth of Advaita in several places. This covers the Upanisad portion of the Vedaas. The first three parts of the Vedaas are called Karma Khaanda. The Upanisad part of the Vedaas is called Jnaana Khaanda. They are also called Pravritti Maarga and Nivritti Maarga. The aim of the Karma Khaanda is to prepare the aspirant towards Jnaana Khaanda. The Karma Khaanda is called Yogashaastra. The Jnaana Khaanda is called Brahmavidya. To emphasize that Gita covers both these, at the end of every chapter, it is mentioned “Iti Srimad Bhagavad Gitaasu, Upanisadsu, Brahmavidyaayaam, Yogashaastre, Sri Krishna Arjuna Samvaade, . Advaita Vedanta accepts nothing less than the absolute Truth of “Jiva Ishwara Aikyam” as the Ultimate Truth. However, the views of other philosophies are accepted as the means and different stages to the Ultimate Truth. When other philosophies have progressed and stopped at various stages on the way to the Ultimate Truth, Advaita Vedanta has taken the quest of Truth to its last word. Sankara’s introduction to his Bhagavad Gitaa Bhaashya is a masterpiece in itself. He brings out the summary of the Gita very beautifully. Studying this introduction in detail will enable us to understand the Gita in the right perspective. It has six paragraphs. This translation of it is based on Dr. A. G. Krishna Warrior’s translation from the book published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. Paragraph 1. Having created the cosmos and seeking to ensure its existence, the Lord brought forth in the beginning the Prajaapatis (progenitors) – Marichi and the rest. Then he imparted to them the Vedic path of work – pravritti lakshanam dharmam (Karma Yoga). Later, bringing forth the Kumaras – Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanaatana and Sanatkumaara, He imparted to them the path of renunciation of work – nivritti lakshanam dharmam (Jnaana Yoga), marked by jnaana (knowledge) and vairaagya (renunciation). This two- fold path (dharma) of the Vedaas makes for the world’s stability. For prosperity and emancipation, people of different natures should follow this path with faith according to their varna (role in society) and aashrama (stage in life). Due to the lapse of long periods of time, the practitioners of the dharma came to be dominated by cravings. By the lack of discriminative knowledge, adharma (lawlessness) came to dominate dharma (righteousness). Therefore, with a view to ensuring the well being of the world, the primal and all- pervading Agent, celebrated as a Naaraayana, is held to have born of Vasudeva from Devaki’s womb by an aspect of Himself as Krishna in order to safeguard the spiritual power in the world. Once the dominance of spirituality is assured, the survival of the Vedic dharma is guaranteed, which is supported by people doing their duties according to their varna (role in society) and aashrama (stage in life). Varna should not be confused with the jaati (caste based on birth) of today. Krishna tells “chaatur varnyam mayaa strustam guna karma vibhaagasaha” (4. Varna is based on guna (inner nature) and karma (work or role in society). He also describes how the four varnas have been allocated different works based on their inner nature in 1. This is not jaati. A part of the society lives by the active performance of work. People who are calm, introvert and thoughtful by nature become Braahmanaas. Braahmanaas play the role of repositories of knowledge. They collect, develop and distribute knowledge in the society. People who are aggressive and full of valor naturally become Kshatriyaas. Kshatriyaas handle power and provide security to the society from internal and external disturbing forces. People who are industrious and have a lot of skill and ingenuity become Vaisyaas. Vaisyaas create wealth in the society by agriculture, industry and trade. People who are unskilled but full of loyalty, who need assistance from others by means of direction of what to do, form the Sudraas. They work under the leadership and guidance of Braahmanaas, Kshatriyaas and Vaisyaas. This division was purely based on inner nature and external role in the society. Later it tended towards heredity and slowly petrified to today’s status. Sri Krishna (and thus the Gita and the Vedaas) does not condemn the pravritti maarga (way of active performance of work) or the nivritti maarga (way of renunciation of work). Both are needed for the functioning of the society. They contribute to prosperity and emancipation of the society respectively. However for an individual, these are considered as stages in the spiritual path. Everyone seeks happiness by means of three things in life – security, pleasure and peace. The innate urge to exist and not to die is expressed in various ways as the sense of security. The innate urge to enjoy sense objects is expressed as a seeking after pleasure. Unbridled pursuit of artha and kaama by every individual in the society will create two problems. One person’s pursuit of artha and kaama will interfere with another’s. Also, the individual’s excessive pursuit and indulgence can become unsustainable to himself. To avoid these two problems, restrictions are brought in. This restriction to the pursuit and indulgence of artha and kaama, to ensure fair share and sustainability to everyone, is called dharma. Dharma results in peace. But does a person attain unconditional and permanent happiness by these pursuits? By experience, he will come to a firm conclusion in the negative. The reality is that happiness is our true inner nature. It does not come from outside. Outside agents are only catalysts to happiness. The happiness comes from within only. It is always present within. It is covered by three layers of obstructions. They are aavarna (ignorance), vikshepa (turbulence) and malam (bias). The first layer to be handled is bias. We are driven by likes and dislikes. These make us run here and there. This obstruction can be removed by doing external work without worrying about the results. This is called Karma Yoga. The second layer is turbulence. This has two factors – wavering and extrovertedness. These have to be removed by japa, meditation, etc. This is called Upaasana Yoga. The third layer is ignorance. This can be removed by hearing the Truth (sravana), removing all the doubts (manana) and applying the knowledge in everyday life (nididhyaasana). This is called Jnaana Yoga. By these, the person realizes unconditional, unshakable, permanent happiness. Thus true happiness does not come from artha, kaama and dharma.
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